No matter whether it is with coffee in the morning or tea before bed, creativity-inducing fungi have increasingly been touted as antidepressant medications. A microdosing trend that first began over 10 years ago is now widely being utilized by everyday people as an effective alternative to pharmaceutical medications.

Making homemade mushroom tea can be an easy and discreet way to access psychedelic mushrooms. While chocolate bars or gummies may offer instant access, making your own is also an option.

How to Make Mushroom Tea

Mushroom tea is an easy, tasty and versatile way to incorporate beneficial mushrooms into your diet. Chaga, Reishi, Lion’s Mane and Cordyceps mushrooms have long been used as traditional medicine due to their powerful healing properties; today these functional fungi contain antioxidants, vitamins and bioactive compounds that support both physical and mental wellbeing.

Magic mushrooms may be known for their mood- and perception-altering effects, but there is an array of other medicinal mushrooms with more subtle advantages that may also have profound ramifications for wellbeing. Integrating tea-made from these medicinal mushrooms into daily routine can boost immune function, enhance cognitive abilities and increase cardiovascular fitness.

When creating mushroom tea, the most essential step is selecting an appropriate variety. As psychedelic mushrooms can have profound effects on our consciousness, it’s critical that they be consumed safely in a calm and safe setting with an open mind. Therefore, starting off small before gradually increasing to achieve your desired effects.

First step to making mushroom tea: grind your chosen mushrooms to a fine powder using either a food processor or pestle and mortar, to ensure an even distribution within your tea and full infusion with water. Once ground, simply combine them with your chosen tea and allow it to steep for 15 minutes; strain through a sieve afterwards! Enjoy your mushroomy tea!

Mushroom tea can be enjoyed alone, but for an added twist and therapeutic benefits it can be combined with other herbal ingredients for maximum enjoyment and effectiveness. Try pairing your mushroom tea with hibiscus, chai or green tea for an uplifting and nutritious drink; or sweeten it further by mixing with sugar or honey; you could even chill your tea for several hours in the refrigerator before enjoying! Plus, mushroom tea is ideal as an all-day beverage, so start your day right by enjoying this natural remedy at any time of day!

Psychedelic Mushrooms

Once a staple of 1960s counterculture and drug trips, psychedelic mushrooms are making a comeback in lab research settings. Now, researchers are investigating whether microdosing on psilocybin — the active ingredient found in magic mushrooms — could aid those experiencing mental health disorders like depression.

Psychotherapy and medication may provide some relief for people living with psychiatric disorders; however, these methods don’t work well for all. “There are many patients who find no relief from existing treatments,” according to psychiatrist Dr. Ben Grinspoon of Providence Medical Institute’s psilocybin research program. It may be wiser to explore alternative approaches.

Researchers had long studied psilocybin as the only psychoactive compound. A new study, however, shows that full-spectrum mushroom extracts — or entheogens — may be more powerful in terms of increasing synaptic plasticity — the brain’s capacity for learning and memory — than synthetic psilocybin alone. This may open the way to using psychotropic mushrooms with therapy – known as Psilocybin-assisted therapy.

Scientists conducted their study by injecting mice with either psilocybin alone or a mixture of psilocin, psilocin amide, baeocystin and norbaeocystin from various types of mushrooms such as Psilocybe cubensis – commonly referred to as “magic mushrooms.” They then conducted cognitive behavioral therapy sessions while still under the influence of these psychedelic compounds; results demonstrated that the latter proved more successful at alleviating anxiety than just using psilocybin alone.

Researchers involved with the psilocybin research hope to eventually open a Rhode Island center where they can test how entheogenic compounds like psilocybin can be used as part of psychedelic-assisted therapy for people struggling with various mental illnesses. Lifespan Psychedelic Medicine Institute was funded with an impressive transformation grant from Diana Oehrli Foundation and should be fully operational by 2024.

Mushrooms are an increasingly popular market in the US, yet those containing psilocybin-containing strains used for microdosing are illegal to sell without a valid permit. A search of local listings on Facebook Marketplace revealed more than three dozen ads from people selling fungi without fully disclosing what exactly was offered – raising concerns that users might receive the wrong type, dangerous strain or even deadly Amanita muscaria mushrooms.

Reishi Mushrooms

Reishi mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum) have long been recognized for their anti-ageing effects. Available as powders, capsules, tinctures or dried pieces that can be added to tea, these natural antidepressant supplements can increase energy and decrease fatigue while improving sleep and relaxation. Health food stores sell them online. Reishi also helps strengthen immunity while decreasing inflammation levels such as blood pressure, sugar levels and cholesterol.

Reishi’s benefits have been extensively documented over millennia in ancient Chinese medical texts such as “Ben Cao Gang Mu.” Reishi has long been recognized for its impactful effect on immunity, helping fight off diseases while cleansing out the body of any natural toxins that accumulate over time. Reishi also helps reduce stress, improve mental clarity and boost brain function/memory; relieving headaches/depression/anxiety symptoms as a bonus!

Studies have also demonstrated the efficacy of Reishi in improving quality of life among those suffering from Fibromyalgia by increasing happiness and wellbeing. Reishi contains Ganoderma Lucidum polysaccharides which affect neurotransmitters such as serotonin to elevate mood while alleviating depression; furthermore it acts as an immunomodulator by regulating immune system functions while encouraging antigen production, humoral immunity as well as cellular immunity – providing additional anti-inflammatory support against conditions like Rheumatoid Arthritis, asthma or Hypertension.

Reishi is generally safe to consume; however it may interact with anticoagulants, herbs with antiplatelet properties, NSAIDs and salicylates – it is advised to seek medical advice prior to consuming reishi if pregnant or breastfeeding or taking medications such as anticoagulants or antiplatelet medicines.

Reishi has proven beneficial to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy; however, more research needs to be done into its use against different cancer types and how it interacts with conventional treatments. This article is part of ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series; providing access to evidence-based information regarding integrative and complementary therapies often used by cancer patients. Jun J. Mao is Director, Integrative Breast Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center of New York while Jyothirmai Gubili is Editor, Integrative Oncology.

Chaga Mushrooms

Mushrooms are enjoying a surge in popularity, and one of the most fascinating varieties is chaga. Dubbed the king of mushrooms, chaga boasts multiple health benefits such as antiviral, antioxidant and cancer fighting properties; in addition it may improve immune system functioning while offering anti-inflammatory benefits and contains polysaccharides that may stimulate immunity while providing protection from oxidative stress.

Fungus also contains powerful triterpenes such as inotodiol, betulinic acid and betulin which have been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, gastritis fighting capabilities as well as potentially helping lower cholesterol levels and strengthening immunity systems.

Recent research demonstrated that Chaga mushroom extract inhibited glycolysis and mitochondrial membrane potential in oral cancer cells, inducing autophagy-mediated apoptotic cell death through the activation of MAPK and NF-kB signaling pathways. Furthermore, Chaga also reduced cell cycle progression while simultaneously suppressing stemness as well as migrative and proliferation abilities of cancer cells.

These results demonstrate that chaga mushroom extract could be an effective supplement medicine for oral cancer patients. With immunomodulatory and anti-tumor properties, as well as its ability to address inflammation diseases such as asthma and allergy symptoms, its potential use as treatment should not be discounted.

Before beginning taking chaga, it’s wise to consult your physician. Just like any new supplement, chaga could potentially have side effects and interact with medications aimed at lowering blood sugar. Chaga can increase insulin’s effectiveness as well as other drugs like Acarbose and Miglitol in terms of blood sugar-lowering properties.

Chaga can be made into tea or tincture for microdosing purposes. If you decide to use it, look for organic Siberian chaga that has been processed using hot water as this will release water-soluble compounds like Beta-D-glucans that may contribute to its anti-inflammatory, antiviral and cancer fighting benefits. Alternatively, an alcohol-based tincture from this fungus will release more non-water soluble triterpenes which have numerous additional health benefits and is often recommended by natural healers who believe this type of dose won’t have side effects or interactions like many mushroom supplements do.